New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) is a statewide public transportation system serving the U.S. state of New Jersey. It operates bus, light rail, and commuter rail services throughout the state. NJ Transit's commuter trains feed into Pennsylvania Station (Penn Station) in New York City's Midtown Manhattan, and Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey.

NJ Transit, founded in 1979, was an offspring of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), mandated by the state government to address the many transportation issues that had developed at the time. NJ Transit came into being with the passage of the Public Transportation Act of 1979 to "acquire, operate and contract for transportation service in the public interest." NJ Transit originally acquired and managed a number of private bus services. Conrail (or Consolidated Rail Corporation) had been formed in 1976 through the merging of a number of financially troubled passenger railroads, and operated commuter railroad service under contract from the NJDOT.

In 1983, NJ Transit assumed operation of all commuter rail service in New Jersey from Conrail. It now operates every rail line in the state except for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH), which is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; the PATCO Hi-Speedline, which is owned by the Delaware River Port Authority; and a handful of tourist trains in the southern and northwestern parts of New Jersey. New Jersey Transit also runs most of the state's bus lines, with many of its bus routes serving the older, urbanized areas of Northeast New Jersey, along with a cluster of lines based in Trenton.

In the 1990s, the system expanded, with new MidTOWN DIRECT service to New York City and new equipment. On October 21, 2001 it opened a new station at Newark International Airport. On December 15, 2003, NJ Transit opened the Secaucus Junction transfer station, connecting two major portions of the system, allowing passengers on Hoboken-bound trains to switch trains to get to Midtown Manhattan more conveniently. The transfer saves passengers headed into Midtown Manhattan an estimated 15 minutes of travel time.

Operating divisions

Bus

NJ Transit operates a statewide network of buses. There are three subdivisions of bus operations:

• Transit
• Short Distance Suburban
• Longer Distance Suburban

NJ Transit maintains a fleet of 2,027 buses and 236 bus routes. Bus fares are based on distance and range from $1.10 to $15.75. For further information, see NJ Transit Bus Operations .

Light Rail

NJ Transit operates three light rail lines:

• Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
• Newark City Subway
• River LINE

Rail

main article: NJ Transit Rail Operations

NJ Transit has 11 commuter rail lines:

• Northeast Corridor Line
• North Jersey Coast Line
• Morristown Line
  • Gladstone Branch
• Raritan Valley Line
• Main Line
• Bergen County Line
• Montclair-Boonton Line
• Pascack Valley line
• Atlantic City Line

See also

• List of United States railroads
• List of New Jersey railroads
• New Jersey Transit rail operations
• Complete list of NJ Transit stations
• AirTrain (Newark)
• Hudson-Bergen Light Rail
• Newark City Subway
• River LINE

External links

• NJ Transit official site
• Railroad.net forum - NJT heavy rail and light rail